a field guide to the roadside

with 52 colour plates

frontispiece: lakeside himalayan, plate 1
me, my & thoughts

first edition, 2026

how to use this guide

This guide describes the things most often seen from a motorcycle within a day’s ride of Bangalore. They are arranged in six families, each with its own colour, shown on the tabs at the edge of the page.

Each species has one to three plates, numbered through the book, and an account giving its field marks, habitat and behaviour, the species it is most likely to be confused with, and a line for each plate recording the date, the place, the focal length and the shutter speed. Where a plate comes from a ride written up elsewhere on this site, the line links to it.

Symbols beside each account show whether its plates were taken by day or after dark , and whether the species is found on two wheels .

To identify a specimen, begin at step 1 of the key and answer each question about what is in front of you. Every path ends at a species. Any plate can be opened larger, and the larger view steps through the plates in order.

parts of a motorcycle

The parts are named as for birds, which the motorcycle resembles in every respect that matters here: wing mirror, crown, eye, beak, mantle, tail, belly, vent, foot.

fig. 1

a cream-white himalayan in side profile on a dry bed of pale pebbles, river grass and water behind.
adult, side view

key to the species

Begin at 1.

  1. Is there a motorcycle in the frame?yes 2no 9
  2. Is someone riding it?yes 3no 6
  3. Are its wheels in water?yes wading motorcycle pl. 19no 4
  4. Is the front wheel in the air, or throwing up mud?yes displaying motorcycle pl. 21no 5
  5. Is it leaning into a bend?yes cornering guerrilla pl. 24no motorcycle in flight pl. 17
  6. Is there more than one?yes gregarious motorcycle pl. 13no 7
  7. Could you hide it behind your thumb at arm’s length?yes lesser roadside motorcycle pl. 11no 8
  8. Is it standing on round stones?yes riverbed adventurer pl. 9no lakeside himalayan pl. 1
  9. Is the specimen alive?yes 10no 11
  10. Does it have feathers?yes cormorant pl. 42no sand toad pl. 44
  11. Was it put there by people?yes chevron pl. 46no 12
  12. Is there water in the frame?yes mirror lake pl. 36no cloud-capped hill pl. 31

family

Motocyclus quiescens parked motorcycles

The commonest motorcycles in the region, and the easiest to observe, since they do not move. Most are found alone at the edge of a road, a lake or a view, with the rider somewhere out of frame. Approach from the side for the best view of the field marks.

10 species, plates 1–16

plate 1

lakeside himalayan adult, side view

plate 2

lakeside himalayan adult, helmet on mirror

plate 3

overlook himalayan at a viewpoint fence

plate 4

overlook himalayan on a summit

plate 5

mist himalayan rear view, early morning

plate 6

paddy-edge himalayan adult, side view

plate 7

dusk roadster grey form, low sun

plate 8

dusk roadster dark form, against the sun

plate 9

riverbed adventurer cream-white form (tars)

plate 10

riverbed adventurer white-and-orange form

plate 11

lesser roadside motorcycle distant view

plate 12

lesser roadside motorcycle under a bridge

plate 13

gregarious motorcycle flock of six

plate 14

gregarious motorcycle pair

plate 15

laden tourer fully laden

plate 16

thicket motorcycle in scrub

family

Motocyclus vector motorcycles in motion

Motorcycles with a rider aboard, always helmeted, so the face is never seen. They are fast and shy, and many records are blurred. Look for them near water and on bends, where they slow down or show off.

8 species, plates 17–28

plate 17

motorcycle in flight tars, on the pegs

plate 18

motorcycle in flight grr, low pass

plate 19

wading motorcycle red form, crossing

plate 20

wading motorcycle orange form, paused

plate 21

displaying motorcycle front wheel up

plate 22

displaying motorcycle tars, through a puddle

plate 23

departing motorcycle rear view

plate 24

cornering guerrilla grr, leaned over

plate 25

grooming motorcycle tars, being checked

plate 26

lakebed tars breeding plumage

plate 27

lakebed tars non-breeding plumage

plate 28

roosting rider tars, at rest

family

Montes hills and ranges

The hills and ranges the roads go round. They are the most dependable species in this guide and have not moved in the observer’s lifetime. The family also keeps the lone trees, which nobody else would take.

3 species, plates 29–35

plate 29

layered range at sunset

plate 30

layered range in green haze

plate 31

cloud-capped hill cap on

plate 32

cloud-capped hill cap slipping

plate 33

solitary tree daylight form

plate 34

solitary tree sunset form

plate 35

solitary tree with red sun

family

Aquae lakes, rivers, riverbeds

Lakes, rivers and the stony beds they leave behind. Water draws every other family in this guide to its edge, so it is worth a stop even when nothing seems to be there. The still forms are best seen in the morning, before the wind gets up.

4 species, plates 36–41

plate 36

mirror lake with tree

plate 37

mirror lake with twin peak

plate 38

shallow river stony reach

plate 39

shallow river with boat

plate 40

pink water lily in flower

plate 41

storm lake before rain

family

Aves et bestiae birds and animals

Birds and animals found near the road. Most are smaller than the motorcycles and keep further away, so they are under-recorded here. The observer apologises to the ants.

4 species, plates 42–45

plate 42

cormorant adult, perched

plate 43

palm egret roosting flock

plate 44

sand toad pair

plate 45

weaver ant workers

family

Signa viae signs and roadside things

Signs, markers and other things left by the road, by people or by time. Many were put there to be seen, which makes them easy to identify and easy to ride past. One of them walks.

6 species, plates 46–52

plate 46

chevron at a bend

plate 47

chevron with motorcycles, chin’s helmet on the box

plate 48

cairn adult

plate 49

rain-tree avenue overhead view

plate 50

grass-bearer carrying a full load

plate 51

stone bull adult, at rest

plate 52

cached bag hanging

index

acknowledgements

The observer thanks tars, who appears in more of these plates than is strictly scientific; grr, for leaning into the corner at adiyogi while the shutter was open; chin, for leaving a helmet where plate 47 could find it; and the 390 adventure, for standing still on the stones at dhabbaguli. The hills, the water and the stone bull were patient throughout. No specimen was harmed, though several were muddied.

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